Some Intensive Interaction 'recording’ issues to think about

Following on from last week's blog which set out my position on the human bias which can 'unconsciously and unquestioningly project too much confidence into a set of sometimes quite crude numbers' (14/05/18), in this blog I thought I might set out what I think is generally important when considering which recording regime (or formats) might most usefully collect information/data on the use of Intensive Interaction.

When considering a recording regime (e.g. a combination of recording formats) to be used during an Intensive Interaction intervention (or just during its general use), I think there isn't a simple 'one size fits all' system. Instead I think that there are various stages of an Intensive Interaction intervention (or its general use) that might require the use of different recording formats.

At the start of an Intensive Interaction intervention a systematic collection of information might be required about what a person does: in what way(s) they behave, what kinds of actual or potentially sociable activity seem to positively motivate them, and in what way(s) they might be socially communicative (either currently or potentially).

As an intervention progresses, the systematic collection of both objective and subjective information might then be required on how sessions are developing, which kinds of interactivity are working well, and which aren’t. Some types of recording might be used to evidence the levels of engagement attained by the person with whom we are interacting, and others formats used to support a reflective analysis on a practitioner’s individual practice. It might also be useful to systematically record any new ‘interactive’ developments that the person evidences.

Additionally, when thinking about which recording formats to use, and when, the following issues might be usefully considered:

     ·   the purposes and potential audiences for any information or data collected should be made clear to those people who are doing the recording. 

     ·   any recording format should be both broadly applicable and efficient i..e. quick, clear and flexible enough to record an interactive episode, or at least some important aspect of an interactive episode, of any participant engaging in Intensive Interaction.

      ·   any recording regime should be able to show a person’s development or progress over time, even if such progress is only incremental and/or inconsistent i.e. it should help build a picture of the person’s interactions over an extended period of time, rather than just giving a one-off and potentially misleading snapshot.

      ·  any recording regime should be able to evidence any new or novel interactive occurrences.

Another (perhaps ulterior) consideration for using a systematic recording regime is that it can provide good evidence of the quality (and quantity) of Intensive Interaction service provision, and thus clearly indicate compliance with a number of specific CQC or Ofsted outcomes (and thus help gain that all important 'Outstanding' rating).

Finally, any recording regime should also ideally include regular video recording, to provide comprehensive and easily accessible evidence of Intensive Interaction attainment and progression, and also help individual practitioners and services use and record Intensive Interaction in the most effective and most consistent ways possible.